Bay of Pigs Invasion - Cold War - HISTORY.com Bay of Pigs Invasion A+E Networks Introduction On January 1, 1959, a young Cuban nationalist named Fidel Castro (1926-) drove his guerilla army into Havana and overthrew General Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973), the nation’s American-backed president. For the next two years, officials at the U.S. State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) attempted to push Castro from power. Finally, in April 1961, the CIA launched what its leaders believed would be the definitive strike: a full-scale invasion of Cuba by 1,400 American-trained Cubans who had fled their homes when Castro took over. However, the invasion did not go well: The invaders were badly outnumbered by Castro’s troops, and they surrendered after less than 24 hours of fighting. The Bay of Pigs - John F.

Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum The Bay of Pigs The Bay of Pigs On April 17, 1961, 1400 Cuban exiles launched what became a botched invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. In 1959, Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolt that overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. The US government distrusted Castro and was wary of his relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union. Before his inauguration, John F. Kennedy was briefed on a plan by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) developed during the Eisenhower administration to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of their homeland. The plan anticipated that the Cuban people and elements of the Cuban military would support the invasion. The ultimate goal was the overthrow of Castro and the establishment of a non-communist government friendly to the United States. Training President Eisenhower approved the program in March 1960. The CIA set up training camps in Guatemala, and by November the operation had trained a small army for an assault landing and guerilla warfare.

José Miró Cardona led the anti-Castro Cuban exiles in the United States. A former member of Castro's government, he was the head of the Cuban Revolutionary Council, an exile committee. Cardona was poised to take over the provisional presidency of Cuba if the invasion succeeded. Despite efforts of the government to keep the invasion plans covert, it became common knowledge among Cuban exiles in Miami. Through Cuban intelligence, Castro learned of the guerilla training camps in Guatemala as early as October 1960, and the press reported widely on events as they unfolded. Shortly after his inauguration, in February 1961, President Kennedy authorized the invasion plan. But he was determined to disguise U.S. support. The landing point at the Bay of Pigs was part of the deception. The site was a remote swampy area on the southern coast of Cuba, where a night landing might bring a force ashore against little resistance and help to hide any U.S. involvement. Unfortunately, the landing site also left the invading force more than 80 miles from refuge in Cuba's Escambray Mountains, if anything went wrong. The Plan The original invasion plan called for two air strikes against Cuban air bases.

A 1,400-man invasion force would disembark under cover of darkness and launch a surprise attack. Paratroopers dropped in advance of the invasion would disrupt transportation and repel Cuban forces. Simultaneously, a smaller force would land on the east coast of Cuba to create confusion. The main force would advance across the island to Matanzas and set up a defensive position. The United Revolutionary Front would send leaders from South Florida and establish a provisional government. The success of the plan depended on the Cuban population joining the invaders. The Invasion The first mishap occurred on April 15, 1961, when eight bombers left Nicaragua to bomb Cuban airfields. The CIA had used obsolete World War II B-26 bombers, and painted them to look like Cuban air force planes. The bombers missed many of their targets and left most of Castro's air force intact. As news broke of the attack, photos of the repainted U.S. planes became public and revealed American support for the invasion. President Kennedy cancelled a second air strike. On April 17, the Cuban-exile invasion force, known as Brigade 2506, landed at beaches along the Bay of Pigs and immediately came under heavy fire.

Cuban planes strafed the invaders, sank two escort ships, and destroyed half of the exile's air support. Bad weather hampered the ground force, which had to work with soggy equipment and insufficient ammunition. The Counterattack Over the next 24 hours, Castro ordered roughly 20,000 troops to advance toward the beach, and the Cuban air force continued to control the skies. As the situation grew increasingly grim, President Kennedy authorized an "air-umbrella" at dawn on April 19—six unmarked American fighter planes took off to help defend the brigade's B-26 aircraft flying. But the B-26s arrived an hour late, most likely confused by the change in time zones between Nicaragua and Cuba. They were shot down by the Cubans, and the invasion was crushed later that day. Some exiles escaped to the sea, while the rest were killed or rounded up and imprisoned by Castro's forces. Almost 1,200 members of Brigade 2056 surrendered, and more than 100 were killed. The Aftermath The brigade prisoners remained in captivity for 20 months, as the United States negotiated a deal with Fidel Castro.

Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy made personal pleas for contributions from pharmaceutical companies and baby food manufacturers, and Castro eventually settled on $53 million worth of baby food and medicine in exchange for the prisoners. On December 23, 1962, just two months after the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a plane containing the first group of freed prisoners landed in the United States. A week later, on Saturday, December 29, surviving brigade members gathered for a ceremony in Miami's Orange Bowl, where the brigade's flag was handed over to President Kennedy. "I can assure you," the president promised, "that this flag will be returned to this brigade in a free Havana." The disaster at the Bay of Pigs had a lasting impact on the Kennedy administration. Determined to make up for the failed invasion, the administration initiated Operation Mongoose—a plan to sabotage and destabilize the Cuban government and economy. The plan included the possibility of assassinating Castro. More than 50 years later, relations between Castro's Cuba and the United States remain strained and tenuous. Letter from President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev.

April 18, 1961 The Bay of Pigs invasion begins - Apr 17, 1961 - HISTORY.com Within the CIA, the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961 was regarded as the "perfect failure." Cold War The Bay of Pigs invasion begins Share this: The Bay of Pigs invasion begins Author The Bay of Pigs invasion begins URL Publisher A+E Networks The Bay of Pigs invasion begins when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The attack was an utter failure. Fidel Castro had been a concern to U.S. policymakers since he seized power in Cuba with a revolution in January 1959. Castro’s attacks on U.S. companies and interests in Cuba, his inflammatory anti-American rhetoric, and Cuba’s movement toward a closer relationship with the Soviet Union led U.S. officials to conclude that the Cuban leader was a threat to U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere. In March 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the CIA to train and arm a force of Cuban exiles for an armed attack on Cuba.

John F. Kennedy inherited this program when he became president in 1961. Though many of his military advisors indicated that an amphibious assault on Cuba by a group of lightly armed exiles had little chance for success, Kennedy gave the go-ahead for the attack. On April 17, 1961, around 1,200 exiles, armed with American weapons and using American landing craft, waded ashore at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The hope was that the exile force would serve as a rallying point for the Cuban citizenry, who would rise up and overthrow Castro’s government. The plan immediately fell apart–the landing force met with unexpectedly rapid counterattacks from Castro’s military, the tiny Cuban air force sank most of the exiles’ supply ships, the United States refrained from providing necessary air support, and the expected uprising never happened. Over 100 of the attackers were killed, and more than 1,100 were captured. The failure at the Bay of Pigs cost the United States dearly. Castro used the attack by the “Yankee imperialists” to solidify his power in Cuba and he requested additional Soviet military aid.

Eventually that aid included missiles, and the construction of missile bases in Cuba sparked the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, when the United States and the Soviet Union nearly came to blows over the issue. Further, throughout much of Latin America, the United States was pilloried for its use of armed force in trying to unseat Castro, a man who was considered a hero to many for his stance against U.S. interference and imperialism. Kennedy tried to redeem himself by publicly accepting blame for the attack and its subsequent failure, but the botched mission left the young president looking vulnerable and indecisive. Related Videos Bay of Pigs Invasion Blog Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs invasion was intended to provoke popularity for an uprising against Fidel Castro , who had overthrown American-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista . Instead, it gave Castro a military victory and a permanent symbol of Cuban resistance to American aggression. The Bay of Pigs was not originally John F. Kennedy 's idea. As the communist nature of Fidel Castro 's regime became apparent, the urge to topple his government grew. Dwight D. Eisenhower 's administration planned the invasion, which would be handled by the CIA .

By the time of Kennedy's inauguration, the order to invade was the only remaining piece of the plan to put into place. Planning for the invasion began in 1960, before diplomatic ties with Cuba had been broken. The situation was delicate, since the plan was to overthrow a government with which the United States was not at war. Various aspects, including propaganda and military strategies, were included in the plan, along with the directive that the U.S. should not appear to be involved. During the presidential campaign, Kennedy had accused Eisenhower of not doing enough about Castro. In fact, Eisenhower might have launched an invasion himself, had a proper excuse presented itself. Instead, he bequeathed an advanced plan to Kennedy, who was strongly inclined to pursue it. Others in the government were not convinced. The Cubans had presented evidence to the United Nations as early as October that the United States was hiring and training mercenaries. American involvement was not likely to remain much of a secret. Senator J. William Fulbright told Kennedy that this sort of hypocrisy was just the sort of thing of which the United States accused the Soviets. Under Secretary of State Chester Bowles advised Secretary of State Dean Rusk that the plan was wrong on both moral and legal grounds.

Those in favor of the plan also included former Vice President Richard Nixon, John's brother Robert F. Kennedy , and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara . On April 12, 1961, Kennedy told a press conference that the United States unequivocally had no intention of intervening in Cuban affairs. Five days later, the invasion took place. The invasion force had been assembled in Guatemala. It departed in six ships from a port in Nicaragua on April 14. On April 15, the American-backed Cuban exiles began to bomb airfields near two points in the Bay of Pigs and the Zapata swamps in Cuba. In a clumsy effort to make the attacks appear to have been made by defectors, the attacking B-26 airplanes were disguised to look like Cuban aircraft. An actual defector named Mario Zï¿½ï¿½iga was presented to the press along with his airplane, but so many important details were missing and the press had uncovered so much of the truth, that the cover-up effort had little success. Within the first few hours of the operation, it began to appear that the invasion would fail because it had not garnered the support from locals on which they were counting.

Much to the CIAï¿½s surprise, locals firmly supported Castro and the Revolution. Adlai E. Stevenson , the American ambassador to the U.N., flatly denied the Cuban ambassador's charges about the attack and showed the official photographs to support the defectorï¿½s story. Unfortunately, the truth came out within a few hours and Stevenson was humiliated. He also learned that Kennedy had referred to him as ï¿½my official liar." The attack began shortly after midnight on April 16. Coral reefs, misidentified by U-2 spy planes as seaweed, held up landings. Two ships were stranded 80 yards from shore and some heavy equipment was lost. With the invasion plainly underway, Rusk announced on Monday, April 17, that the U.S. would not intervene in Cuba nor would it in the future. Because world opinion was against the U.S., Kennedy decided not to provide further air cover until it could be launched from a landing strip somewhere in Cuba. This never happened, and Cuban forces had complete control of the air. A final desperate attempt at air support resulted in the loss of four American airmen on April 19, but the outcome was already sealed.

The invaders surrendered on the afternoon of April 19. More than 200 people been killed; another 1,197 were taken captive. On April 20, Kennedy told the American Society of Newspaper Editors that the episode was Cubans fighting Cubans and that the U.S. had not been involved. A few months later, the three responsible for planning the invasion ï¿½ Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) Allen Dulles , Deputy Director of Operations Richard Bissell, and Air Force General Charles Cabell ï¿½ were fired. Mass trials of the captured men were held and nearly all were sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. After 20 months of negotiations, they were released in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine. The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion set the stage for further aggressions against Castro from his northern aggressor. President Kennedy made little effort to conceal his continued desire to see Castro deposed. Castroï¿½s insecurity about the future of his rule over Cuba led to the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles there, prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

- - - Books You May Like Include: ---- The Cold War for Kids: Bay of Pigs The Cold War Bay of Pigs In 1961 the United States sent trained Cuban exiles to Cuba to try and overthrow Fidel Castro 's government. They failed miserably. The invasion is considered part of the Cold War because the United States was trying to prevent communism from taking hold in the Americas. Bay of Pigs in Cuba Source: Zleitzen at Wikimedia Commons Before the Invasion Fidel Castro helped to lead the Cuban Revolution in overthrowing the existing government of Cuba in 1959. He was an ardent communist and was allied with the Soviet Union. This deeply concerned the United States as this gave communism and the Soviet Union a foothold in the Americas. The CIA, or Central Intelligence Agency, was tasked with overthrowing Fidel Castro's government in Cuba. There were many people from Cuba, called exiles, who had fled the country when Fidel Castro had become leader. The CIA began to train these exiles in guerrilla warfare. The idea was that they would sneak back into Cuba and begin a guerrilla war against Castro. They would gather others and eventually overthrow Castro. The plan changed, however.

The new plan was help the exiles to invade the island. The hope was that locals would join forces with them and they would quickly take over. Planning the Invasion The invasion was originally planned to occur at the city of Trinidad, but President Kennedy thought that they needed a more secluded place. The Bay of Pigs was chosen instead. The idea was that planes would fly in first and destroy the air force. Then the invasion force of 1500 soldiers would land. They hoped that the Cuban people would join them in rebelling against Castro. The CIA tried to plan the invasion in secret, however, too many people knew and word got out. The Cubans knew the invasion was coming. The Invasion The invasion occurred on April 17, 1961. It did not go well. Although the Cuban air force was damaged by early air strikes, there were still planes left to attack the invaders. Once the invasion started, it took too long for the troops and ammunition to get off the ships. Before the ammunition could be unloaded, Cuban planes sunk the invader's ships. Many of the paratroopers, who were supposed to slow down Castro's forces on the ground, landed at the wrong place or in the swamps.

Soon the invaders were surrounded by a much larger force and were running out of ammunition. They tried to retreat, but most were eventually captured and put into prison. Results The results were disastrous for the United States. The government looked weak and the CIA inept. It also seemed to strengthen Castro's government within Cuba and caused him to look to the Soviet Union as a military ally. Interesting Facts About the Bay of Pigs The Cuban exiles were trained by the CIA in the country of Guatemala. Jose Miro Cardona was set to become president of Cuba once Castro was overthrown. The invasion force was known as Brigade 2506. The invaders would have had a much better chance to escape into the hills if they had used the original landing site of Trinidad. However, they were surrounded by swamp at the Bay of Pigs and had nowhere to run. It is thought that some of the timing of the invasion got messed up due to people getting the time zones confused. Take a ten question quiz about this page. To learn more about the Cold War: Back to the Cold War summary page.

Overview Milestones: 1961–1968 - Office of the Historian Milestones: 1961–1968 The Bay of Pigs Invasion and its Aftermath, April 1961–October 1962 A left-wing revolution in Cuba had ended in 1959 with the ouster of President Fulgencia Batista and the establishment of a new government under Premier Fidel Castro. The Castro regime quickly severed the country’s formerly strong ties with the United States by expropriating U.S. economic assets in Cuba and developing close links with the Soviet Union. Skyhawks from the USS Essex fly sorties over combat areas during the Bay of Pigs. (Robert L. Lawson Photograph Collection) These developments proved a source of grave concern to the United States given Cuba’s geographical proximity to the United States and brought Cuba into play as a new and significant factor in the Cold War. In March 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower directed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to develop a plan for the invasion of Cuba and overthrow of the Castro regime.

The CIA organized an operation in which it trained and funded a force of exiled counter-revolutionary Cubans serving as the armed wing of the Democratic Revolutionary Front, known as Brigade 2506. Following his election in November 1960, President John F. Kennedy learned of the invasion plan, concluded that Fidel Castro was a Soviet client posing a threat to all of Latin America and, after consultations with his advisors, gave his consent for the CIA-planned clandestine invasion of Cuba to proceed. Launched from Guatemala, the attack went wrong almost from the start. Components of Brigade 2506 landed at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961 and were defeated within 2 days by Cuban armed forces under the direct command of Castro. The failed invasion strengthened the position of Castro’s administration, which proceeded to openly proclaim its intention to adopt socialism and pursue closer ties with the Soviet Union. It also led to a reassessment of Cuba policy by the Kennedy administration. The President established a committee under former Army Chief of Staff General Maxwell Taylor and Attorney General Robert Kennedy to examine the causes of the defeat suffered at the Bay of Pigs.

This examination and policy assessment, initiated in May 1961, led in November of that year to a decision to implement a new covert program in Cuba, with the codename of Operation Mongoose. Oversight for Operation Mongoose was provided by the 5412/2 Special Group, under the auspices of the National Security Council, expanded to include General Taylor and Attorney General Kennedy. Operation Mongoose was designed to do what the Bay of Pigs invasion failed to do: remove the Communist Castro regime from power in Cuba. Orchestrated by the CIA and Department of Defense under the direction of Edward Lansdale, Operation Mongoose constituted a multiplicity of plans with wide-ranging purpose and scope. Lansdale presented the Project’s six-phase schedule to Attorney General Kennedy on February 20, 1962, and President Kennedy received a briefing on the operation’s components on March 16, 1962. Lansdale outlined the coordinated program of political, psychological, military, sabotage, and intelligence operations, as well as proposed assassination attempts on key political leaders, including Castro.

Monthly components of the operation were to be set in place to destabilize the communist regime, including the publication of Anti-Castro propaganda, provision of armaments for militant opposition groups, and establishment of guerilla bases throughout the country, all leading up to preparations for an October 1962 military intervention in Cuba. Some (though not all) of the planned Operation Mongoose actions were deployed during 1962, but the military intervention did not occur, and the Castro regime remained in power. Although not considered as significant a U.S. foreign policy failure and embarrassment as the Bay of Pigs invasion, Operation Mongoose failed to achieve its most important goals. Meanwhile, throughout the spring and summer of 1962, U.S. intelligence reports indicated expanded arms shipments from the Soviet Union to Cuba. Amidst growing concern in Washington over whether the Soviet weapons being introduced into Cuba included ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads, in October 1962 the Kennedy administration suspended Operation Mongoose in the face of this far more serious threat—one that resulted in the most dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Bay of Pigs Bay of Pigs Book your hotel in Cuba Like so much of what is understood about Cuba from those outside the country, the name "The Bay of Pigs" is a mistranslation. The correct name is Bahía de Cochinos – Cochinos in this instance not meaning the equivalent of the derisory slang of “dirty pig” (as against the more polite name for a pig – “cerdo”), but rather the local name for Triggerfish. The brightly coloured Triggerfish get their name from their ability to erect a bristly spine when under attack – so in fact the name either way makes a good metaphor for the place where US backed Cuban exiles tried the unsuccessful invasion that marked a key turning point in the Cuban fight for independence. Now it is a peaceful coastline off the spectacular coral reef of Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) - the largest marine park in the Caribbean -its geological history marked in its shores and the steep underground walls making it a diver’s delight Fidel Castro was himself a diver, and since he proclaimed the park in 1966 there has been a proliferation of different fish varieties – a tribute to its protection.

Unfortunately this protection has seen the arrival of colourful but voracious lion fish, natives of the Pacific Ocean. Records indicate that such an invasion of lion fish has the effect of reducing other fish varieties in a coral reef system by up to 80% if left unchecked. Florida has had the same problem – solved by encouraging local amateur fishing of the tasty lion fish – but since this level of fishing requires locals to have boats – and Cuban boats being restricted to some few authorised tourist vessels, this poses a current and growing threat to a beautiful ecosystem and tourist attraction. The bay itself has a variety of lodging, amongst which is the mid-range Playa Largo. Although Albacora is a better known diving centre, Playa Largo is a good starting point for scuba diving the Jardines de la Reina, one of the world’s longest barrier reefs… …or for just taking out a yacht or pedal-boat onto the bay. Playa Largo is colourful and friendly… …and the simple but comfortable accommodation units have their own small patio… …and are set in palm-canopied gardens. The food is excellent in the restaurant, which features local pottery - even a teapot in the shape of a fish – or is it a crocodile?

These are displayed beneath old photos of wildlife of the surrounding Parque Nacional de Cienaga de Zapata. One photo is of a manatee – the gentle “sea cow” that is becoming rarer in most areas. A relative of the elephant and the aardvark, the manatee is classified as an ungulate despite its aquatic habitat where it grazes the sea grasses using its lips in a similar way to how an elephant uses its trunk. I had heard there were still manatee to be found in the Bay of Pigs. However, since their normal cruising speed is between 3kph (2mph) and over 9kph(6mph), and although they surface to breathe, they can stay underwater for up to 20-30 minutes – the chances of meeting a manatee might depend on local knowledge of their habitat. It is the manatee who was often responsible for reports of mermaids or sea sirens, perhaps their chirps and whistles luring sailors to frame everything they saw in terms of the women absent from their lives.

As the Russian proverb says: Not everything is a mermaid that dives into the water I enjoyed the impromptu band performance with the staff of Playa Largo late one night – and was glad to be invited to dance as well. It is these moments, and the important things that take place somewhere, that leave it as a special memory – and it was for me at Playa Largo. As you travel along the Bay of Pigs, the road hugs the coast… …with tiny hamlets, fishing villages… ..and remote tourist houses on one side of the road... …next to isolated sandy beaches … …and on the other, the rivers flowing from the Sierra del Escambray in the distance... …to empty into the Straits of Florida. Not all diving is in the sea along the Bay of Pigs. There is some spectacular cave diving for the undaunted. Cave divers are special people. What drives someone to dive into an unknown world? If you are a mountaineer and get stuck, someone can fly in and rescue you – but if you are in an underwater cave through which the entrance may have been a “press” where you had to push your tanks ahead of you – THIS is exploration with no net!

It is cave divers who are often called to aid rescue efforts like that of the Costa Concordia – for the sunken vessel is the equivalent of an underwater cave – but one that sometimes shifts while being explored. Here at the La Cueva de los Peces (Cave of the Fish) the depth of the sinkhole is known only as far as 70 metres (221feet). It may be deeper . The geological history of the land has left its legacy in karst formations on which “air plants” live. I was fascinated with this, having small replicas of these plants in my own home… …and walking on down the path was totally unprepared for what I found. The lagoon is a formation called a cenote and is the result of the collapse of a cave roof. Here you can dive to find the subterranean passage through which the multi-coloured fish come in… ..or just swim here with the fish surrounding you – best done in summer. There are overhanging rocks under which to swim – and if you dive below about 3 metres (10 feet) the salt layer envelops your body with a warmth that can be lacking above.

We stood for ages, staring into the water, mesmerised by the tranquillity and the colourful varieties of fish below. As anyone who has been distracted from their impending dental appointment by watching the aquarium fish in the dentist’s waiting room knows, watching fish casts some sort of magical soothing balm into the mind. Minutes passed into perhaps half an hour. The companionable silence was punctuated only by occasional eye contact and a smile – for watching this water ballet cast a special spell over us. I was glad that I was travelling with someone who understood my “month in Cuba with no plan” plan. Had we had a plan we may have had to be somewhere to do something. As it was, we had none, and the fish took their time to write the memory in our souls. With the reflected tropical vegetation surrounding the underwater cave, it was as if there was no such thing as above and below. It was a sort of Cuban metaphor, for in Cuba I find I find that for me there is no past and no future – just the moment. Perhaps that is what makes it so special, for we of other countries have mostly forgotten how to immerse ourselves totally in a moment.

It is becoming a symptom of modern life that no one is anywhere they are any more: they are either plugged in to earphones, checking or sending text messages, or talking on the phone – while the moment, with its scents, its sounds, its curiosities, is not being absorbed during a superficial pretence of “having been there”. What did the fish teach me? I think Henry David Thoreau was right: You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this. Cubans Mark 50th Anniversary of Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion - ABC News ABC News Cubans Mark 50th Anniversary of Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion By REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK HAVANA, Cuba, April 16, 2011 0 Shares Email The eyes of the world may be focused on the fight against dictators from Libya to Egypt to Syria, but today that familiar country just 90 miles from Florida is celebrated 50 years of staying power and standing up to America.

Marking the anniversary of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion -- a kind of Fourth of July in Cuba -- fighter jets streakes overhead, gleaming tanks rumbled down streets, and hundreds of thousands of Cubans marched -- the anti-government fervor sweeping the Middle East nowhere to be seen. "I'm against imperialists. I'm against the capitalists. Cuba is a good country. And it's strong," Annabel, a 23-year-old attorney told ABC News in near perfect English. But, she quickly insisted on switching to Spanish: "You are in Cuba -- here we speak Spanish." It's no accident that the Cuban government is celebrating what many Cubans still see as their greatest victory over America, the failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs. At the same time, the government is using all this revolutionary fanfare to kick off a party congress that will bring economic changes painful and disorienting for many Cubans. The message is clear: If Cuba can overcome the United States, it can overcome its worst economic crisis in decades.

The government's answer is one that may sound oddly familiar to Americans -- cuts in health and food benefits, and an assault on government employees -- meaning the end of 1 million government jobs in a country where 80 percent of people work for the state. At the parade today in the storied Plaza de la Revolucion, no one seemed worried about the potential job cuts. "No, no," one Cuban teacher said. "No we're not worried about that. " What will not change in the country is single-party rule. Cuba is defiantly resisting the democratic change sweeping the Middle East. The Bay of Pigs anniversary couldn't be better timed, giving the government of Raul Castro a chance to cultivate the David vs. Goliath story, and direct Cubans' anger away from the government and toward that familiar enemy to the north. "It was an American invasion that tried to take away the Cuban revolution using a strategy they still use today, such as in Libya," one marcher said. "We see it repeated again and again. " Down on the southern coast, at the scene of battle five decades ago, ABC News met one of the revered veterans.

Eustacio Morejon Morejon was a 26-year-old soldier when the CIA-backed mercenaries stormed the clear-water bay. "I was there on the beach standing next to Fidel [Castro]," he said. "Fidel, directing, always. Fidel was always in on the front line facing the dangers of war." Now Fidel Castro and his brother Raul are on the frontline of a battle simply for survival of the system they built. It's uncertain whether they'll succeed, but this weekend left little doubt that America will remain the villain -- and the Castro brothers the heroes in this bold national story, for one more year. 0 Shares Bay of Pigs Bay of Pigs ▼ Primary Sources ▼ Bay of Pigs In the three years that followed the Cuban Revolution , 250,000 Cubans out of a population of six million left the country. Most of these were from the upper and middle-classes who were financially worse off as a result of Castro's policies. Of those who stayed, 90 per cent of the population, according to public opinion polls, supported Fidel Castro . However, Castro did not keep his promise of holding free elections.

Castro claimed the national unity that had been created would be destroyed by the competing political parties in an election. Castro was also becoming less tolerant towards people who disagreed with him. Ministers who questioned the wisdom of his policies were sacked and replaced by people who had proved their loyalty to him. These people were often young, inexperienced politicians who had fought with him in the Sierra Maestra. Politicians who publicly disagreed with him faced the possibility of being arrested. Writers who expressed dissenting views and people he considered deviants such as homosexuals were also imprisoned. In March 1960 Richard Bissell had drafted a top-secret policy paper entitled: A Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime (code-named JMARC). This paper was based on PBSUCCESS, the policy that had worked so well in overthrowing President Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954. In fact, Bissell assembled the same team as the one used against Arbenz: ( Tracy Barnes , David Atlee Phillips, David Morales , Jake Esterline , Rip Robertson , E. Howard Hunt and Gerry Droller Frank Bender).

The only one missing was Frank Wisner , who had suffered a mental breakdown in 1956. Added to the team was Desmond FitzGerald , William Harvey and Ted Shackley . The policy involved the creation of an exile government, a powerful propaganda offensive, developing a resistance group within Cuba and the establishment of a paramilitary force outside Cuba. In Guatemala this strategy involved persuading Jacobo Arbenz to resign. Richard Bissell knew of course that Fidel Castro would never agree to that. Therefore, Castro had to be removed just before the invasion took place. If this did not happen, the plan would not work. In August 1960 Dwight Eisenhower authorized $13m to pay for JMARC. Sidney Gottlieb of the CIA Technical Services Division was asked to come up with proposals that would undermine Castro's popularity with the Cuban people. Plans included a scheme to spray a television studio in which he was about to appear with an hallucinogenic drug and contaminating his shoes with thallium which they believed would cause the hair in his beard to fall out. These schemes were rejected and instead Bissell decided to arrange the assassination of Fidel Castro .

In September 1960 Richard Bissell and Allen W. Dulles , the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), initiated talks with two leading figures of the Mafia, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana . Later, other crime bosses such as Carlos Marcello , Santos Trafficante and Meyer Lansky became involved in this plot against Castro. Robert Maheu , a veteran of CIA counter-espionage activities, was instructed to offer the Mafia $150,000 to kill Fidel Castro . The advantage of employing the Mafia for this work is that it provided CIA with a credible cover story. The Mafia were known to be angry with Castro for closing down their profitable brothels and casinos in Cuba. If the assassins were killed or captured the media would accept that the Mafia were working on their own. The Federal Bureau of Investigation had to be brought into this plan as part of the deal involved protection against investigations against the Mafia in the United States. Castro was later to complain that there were twenty ClA-sponsered attempts on his life. Eventually Johnny Roselli and his friends became convinced that the Cuban revolution could not be reversed by simply removing its leader.

However, they continued to play along with this CIA plot in order to prevent them being prosecuted for criminal offences committed in the United States . John F. Kennedy was given a copy of the JMARC proposal by Bissell and Allen W. Dulles in Palm Beach on 18th November, 1960. According to Bissell, Kennedy remained impassive throughout the meeting. He expressed surprise only at the scale of the operation. The plan involved a 750 man landing on a beach near the port of Trinidad , on the south coast of Cuba . The CIA claimed that Trinidad was a hotbed of opposition to Castro. It was predicted that within four days the invasion force would be able to recruit enough local volunteers to double in size. Airborne troops would secure the roads leading to the town and the rebels would join up with the guerrillas in the nearby Escambray Mountains. In March 1961 John F. Kennedy asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff to vet the JMARC project. As a result of plausible deniability they were not given details of the plot to kill Castro.

The JCS reported that if the invaders were given four days of air cover, if the people of Trinidad joined the rebellion and if they were able to join up with the guerrillas in the Escambray Mountains, the overall rating of success was 30%. Therefore, they could not recommend that Kennedy went along with the JMARC project. At a meeting on 11th March, 1961, Kennedy rejected Bissells proposed scheme. He told him to go away and draft a new plan. He asked for it to be less spectacular and with a more remote landing site than Trinidad. It appears that Kennedy had completely misunderstood the report from the JCS. They had only rated it as high as a 30% chance of success because it was going to involve such a large landing force and was going to take place in Trinidad, near to the Escambray Mountains . After all, Fidel Castro had an army and militia of 200,000 men. Richard Bissell now resubmitted his plan. As requested, the landing was no longer at Trinidad. Instead he selected Bahia de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs).

This was 80 miles from the Escambray Mountains. What is more, this journey to the mountains was across an impenetrable swamp. As Bissell explained to Kennedy, this means that the guerrilla fallback option had been removed from the operation. As Allen W. Dulles recorded at the time: We felt that when the chips were down, when the crisis arose in reality, any action required for success would be authorized rather than permit the enterprise to fail. In other words, he knew that the initial invasion would be a disaster, but believed that Kennedy would order a full-scale invasion when he realized that this was the case. According to Evan Thomas ( The Very Best Men ): Some old CIA hands believe that Bissell was setting a trap to force U.S. intervention. Edgar Applewhite, a former deputy inspector general, believed that Bissell and Dulles were building a tar baby. Jake Esterline was very unhappy with these developments and on 8th April attempted to resign from the CIA. Bissell convinced him to stay. On 10th April, 1961, Bissell had a meeting with Robert Kennedy .

He told Kennedy that the new plan had a two out of three chance of success. Bissell added that even if the project failed the invasion force could join the guerrillas in the Escambray Mountains. Kennedy was convinced by this scheme and applied pressure on those like Chester Bowles , Theodore Sorenson and Arthur Schlesinger who were urging John F. Kennedy to abandon the project. On 13th April, Kennedy asked Richard Bissell how many B-26s were going to be used. He replied sixteen. Kennedy told him to use only eight. Bissell knew that the invasion could not succeed without adequate air cover. Yet he accepted this decision based on the idea that he would later change his mind when the chips were down. The following day B-26 planes began bombing Cuba's airfields. After the raids Cuba was left with only eight planes and seven pilots. Two days later five merchant ships carrying 1,400 Cuban exiles arrived at the Bay of Pigs. Allen W. Dulles was in Puerto Rico during the invasion. He left Charles Cabell in charge. Instead of ordering the second air raid he checked with Dean Rusk .

He contacted Kennedy who said he did not remember being told about the second raid. After discussing it with Rusk he decided to cancel it. Instead the operation tried to rely on Radio Swan, broadcasts being made on a small island in the Caribbean by David Atlee Phillips , calling for the Cuban Army to revolt. They failed to do this. Instead they called out the militia to defend the fatherland from American mercenaries. At 7 a.m. on 18th April, Richard Bissell told John F. Kennedy that the invasion force was trapped on the beaches and encircled by Castros forces. Then Bissell asked Kennedy to send in American forces to save the men. Bissell expected him to say yes. Instead he replied that he still wanted minimum visibility. After the air raids Cuba was left with only eight planes and seven pilots. Two days later five merchant ships carrying 1,400 Cuban exiles arrived at the Bay of Pigs . Two of the ships were sunk, including the ship that was carrying most of the supplies. Two of the planes that were attempting to give air-cover were also shot down. That night Bissell had another meeting with John F. Kennedy .

This time it took place in the White House and included General Lyman Lemnitzer, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Admiral Arleigh Burke, Chief of Naval Operations. Bissell told Kennedy that the operation could still be saved if American warplanes were allowed to fly cover. Admiral Burke supported him on this. General Lemnitzer called for the Brigade to join the guerrillas in the Escambray Mountains. Bissell explained this was not an option as their route was being blocked by 20,000 Cuban troops. Within seventy-two hours all the invading troops had been killed, wounded or had surrendered. Bissell had a meeting with John F. Kennedy about the Bay of Pigs operation. Kennedy admitted it was his fault that the operation had been a disaster. Kennedy added: "In a parliamentary government, I'd have to resign. But in this government I can't, so you and Allen (Dulles) have to go." As Evan Thomas points out in The Very Best Men : "Bissell had been caught in his own web.

"Plausible deniability" was intended to protect the president, but as he had used it, it was a tool to gain and maintain control over an operation... Without plausible deniability, the Cuba project would have turned over to the Pentagon, and Bissell would have have become a supporting actor." After the CIA's internal inquiry into this fiasco, Allen W. Dulles was forced to resign as Director of the CIA (November, 1961) by President John F. Kennedy . He did not actually sack Bissell. Instead he offered him the post as director of a new science and technology department. Bissell turned down the offer and in February 1962 he left the CIA and was replaced as head of the Directorate for Plans, by Richard Helms . He now introduced a campaign that involved covert attacks on the Cuban economy.

Question: In which country is the Bay of Pigs
Answer: Cuba